Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Ref. 14800BA

Let’s start with a little freshening up of our Royal Oak 101: It was launched in 1972 when the idea of a luxury sports watch was still considered a contradiction in terms. The Swiss watch industry was in turmoil after cheap quartz watches started to flood the market. Audemars Piguet hired designer Gerald Genta to draw up a luxury steel sports watch, very much a gamble at the time. The Royal Oak was born and turned out to become a cult hit.

This you probably knew. So now onto this particular example. It is something a bit different. It isn’t a steel watch at all. It does not feature the famous metal bracelet. And it has a completely different dial. This then…is for the adventurous connoisseur! The dial we see here has been dubbed the military dial. This is most likely down to the sword hands and extremely legible hour markers, giving it a more utilitarian look. It is not a term coined by AP themselves though, and we will probably never know where it came from.

The solid gold case features the iconic porthole bezel, complete with its recognizable screws. Combined with the pronounced branding on the dial, this is where the watch clearly gives away its Royal Oak heritage. Other than that, it is a cheeky, against-the-grain spring off of the legendary Royal Oak family. Does that sound like you? Come and try it on in our store at Reestraat 3, Amsterdam.